This morning featured new noises, halfway between a "shriek" and a "gronk," that sounded as if someone was torturing a whale. The sound was so piercing, it went right through the earplugs. There was a white, county utility truck parked out on the street... Please let this not be some kind of new garbage truck. The current ones are loud enough!

I went out for Chinese food with people from the office yesterday, and had very good szechuan pork. Spent the rest of the afternoon in the usual fashion, which is to say jonesing for chocolate with mint. I don't know why Chinese food does that to me, but it's consistent. Every.single.time. :O

So, after that comment the other day about Battle Creek slash, I went looking for some. Let me just say that of the various things at AO3, I did not expect so many stories to be in Russian and Chinese, nor the explosion of things like wing-fic, vampire AUs, etc. I suppose I should have, because fanfic, but really? Damn.

I did find a really marvelous story worth sharing. This isn't the way I would have thought of Milt, but the author totally persuaded me, and Russ? Is so very Russ. Crabby, aggravating, and yet you can't help liking him. The style is decidedly unfluffy slash (again, Russ), very masculine and realistic. Really good storytelling, and a very satisfying read:

Another conversation the other day made me think of something else I should rec, for Justified fans. This story came out during the nvrleaveharlan "Hillbilly Remix" challenge. The author really captures Dickie Bennett here, from his seemingly half-crazy non-sequitur-based conversations to his underlying wiliness, and it's funny and perfect:

A three-day weekend is coming up here in the States, but I didn't get around to making plans for HalfshellHusband and me to go out of town. My follow-through is just awful these days. :( What will all of you be up to?

These are they guys on Battle Creek. Russ is a cranky-ass local detective played by Dean Winters (a.k.a., Mayhem), and Milt is the FBI "interloper" played by Josh Duhamel. They don't get along well, though Milt would like to, and they have this edgy chemistry. Plus, rawrrr. :)